The boys have it…for now
WHEN searching for the potential winner of the Golden Easter Egg, the recent history of the event suggests putting a line through the female contenders, unless they happen to be truly exceptional.
Seven of the last eight Egg finals have been taken out by male greyhounds, the last five in a row.
Overall, the ‘boys' have snared 16 victories and the ‘girls' just nine. On the loam surface that differential is even more pronounced, being 16 to six. So, of the 22 Golden Easter Egg's conducted on the loam surface at Wentworth Park, nearly 73 percent have fallen to male runners.
When looking closely at those six female winners, arguably three of them have been among the greatest sprinting bitches to have ever raced in Australia. Those three are the Victorian star Highly Blessed, which won the 1991 final, the former Queensland champion Tenthill Doll which scored a brilliant win in the 1996 running, and fellow Queensland bitch Bogie Leigh, in the 2004 run-off.
Just behind that trio in the greatness stakes are 1992 victor Jessica Casey (from NSW) and 2005 winner Paua To Burn, also from NSW.
Of course, this is not to take anything away from the other four female winners:
Ultra Sense (the inaugural Golden Easter Egg victor in 1990, and finalist in 1991)
Mancunian Girl, the 1994 winner which came into the Egg as the Australian Cup winner and went on to be a Ladies Bracelet, Victorian National Sprint Championship, and Topgun finalist.
Edie Beauchamp, the first female winner of the new millennium, taking the 2006 final in race record time. Edie Beauchamp had been a 2005 National Futurity and Christmas Gift finalist, went on to be a 2006 Winter Stake finalist and won the Canberra Cup as well as setting track records over 400-metres at Bulli and 630-metres at Nowra.
Finally, Dana Beatrice won the 2009 final in race record time after being a finalist in the Orange Cup, Soldier's Saddle and had won the Bathurst Gold Cup. The daughter of Collision went on to be a finalist in the 2010 Ladies Bracelet and set a track record for 520-metres at Young.
Basically, if you're considering having a pre-post bet on the final, recent history suggests looking for a male greyhound instead of a member of the distaff side of the genetic fence.
Male Winners
Tonk 2014
Grigorieva Bale 2013
Don't Knocka Him 2012
Radley Bale 2011
Cosmic Rumble 2010
Blazing Token 2008
Slater 2007
Cyrus The Virus 2003
Carlisle Jack 2002
Brett Lee 2001
Stately Bird 2000
Faithful Hawk 1999
Rapid Journey 1998
Bahama Image 1997
Malawi Law 1995
Billy Binjang 1993
Female Winners
Dana Beatrice 2009
Edie Beauchamp 2006
Paua To Burn 2005
Bogie Leigh 2004
Tenthill Doll 1996
Mancunian Girl 1994
Jessica Casey 1992
Highly Blessed 1991
Ultra Sense 1990